Emergency kit knife



March 31, 1959 s. L. BENNETT 2,879,591 EMERGENCY KIT KNIFE Filed June 4, 1957 United States Patent EMERGENCY KIT KNIFE Samuel L. Bennett, Columbia, 8.0. Application June 4, 1957, Serial No. 663,563 Claims. (Cl. 30-125) (Granted under Title 35, U. S. Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described herein, if patented, may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

The invention relates to survival kits for use by grounded aviators, lost campers, hunters, soldiers, wrecked sailors, or the like. When such an individual is forced by circumstances to survive for an indefinite period until he reaches civilization or is rescued, he usually is without any special aids to such survival. Aircraft and lifeboats commonly contain survival kits but these may well be lost in the disaster or, in any event, are not generally small enough to be carried on the person or likely to be available to an individual in the event he is separated from his party or from the vehiclecarrying the kit. It is clear, therefore, that it would be tremendously advantageous if the kit comprised some common tool or weapon which would normally be carried on or worn on the person. In such an event, each individual would have his own survival kit with him at all times and would not have to depend upon a community kit in the event he became separated from his party.

With the foregoing in view, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved survival kit for an individual.

A further object is to provide an improved survival kit which is combined with a tool or weapon which is commonly worn on the person. 6

A further object is to provide an improved handle for a tool or weapon, which handle comprises a plurality of separable elements, means readily detachably securing said elements in a handle-providing relation, all of said 2. or-weapon which in the embodiment illustrated comprises a knife.

The knife 15 comprises a blade 34 which may be of any suitable shape such as the double-edged, pointed blade illustrated. The upper or butt end of the blade 34 is formed as an integral tang 35. The upper end of the tang 35 is preferably flattened and formed with interrupted screwthreads 36 for the reception thereon of any suitable securing element such as the nut 37. The nut 37 as illus trated, is.in form of an internally threaded bevel-headed machine screw having a screw slot 38.

A composite handle is secured on the tang 35 by the nut 37 and comprises a number of survivor kit items and containers for additional survivor kit items. Thus, the handlev guard 39 is slidably seated on the lower end of the tang 35 and not only serves in the usual manner as a guard but also, when removed from the tang 35, as a fishing line sinker or as a combined sinker and fish lure. The rest of the composite handle comprises a plurality of segments which are separated from each other by substantially identical spacers 40. Each spacer 40 is formed with a central hole 41 for the tang 35 and preferably includes smaller holes 42 on each side of such central hole. Each spacer 40 serves not only as a spacer but as a fish lure when fastened to a fish line by means of the smaller holes 42.

The first group of segments above the guard 39 com-.

prise a number of solid segments 43 which in addition to their handle-providing function provide fish line sinkers when removed from the tang 35 and connected to the fish line by means of the center holes 44.

elements comprising survival kit items, and some of said elements including normally closed pockets adapted to contain other survival kit items.

Other objects and advantages reside in the particular structure of the invention, the structure of the several elements or components of the same, combinations and subcombinations of such elements, all of which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the attached drawing showing one embodiment of the invention in conjunction with the following specification wherein the invention is described and claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the knife according to the invention apart from the scabbard;

Figure 2 is an enlarged, fragmnetary transverse vertical sectional view through the handle of the knife;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane of the lines 3--3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the elements of the handle; and

Figures 5 and 6 are respectively horizontal sectional views taken substantially on the planes of the lines 5-5 and 66 of Figure 2.

Referring specifically to the drawing wherein like ref erence characters designate like parts in all views, and referring at first to Figure l, 15 designates generally a tool Next above the solid segments 43 are a number of hollow segments 45. These each comprise a central boss 46, a floor 47 and an outer cylindrical wall 48 defining with the boss 46 a cylindrical compartment or pocket 49 which is closed at the upper end only by the superajacent spacer 40. The boss 46 is formed with a central hole 50 to provide a sliding fit on the tang 35.

A final hollow segment 51 is located atop the uppermost segment 45. This segment differs from the segments 45 in that the boss 46 is omitted, to provide space for the shank 8 of the nut 37. Thus, the segment 51 comprises acup-shaped member having a floor 52 and a cylindrical sidewall 53 defining a compartment or pocket 54. The floor 52 is formed with a hole 55 to provide a sliding fit on the tang 35. The pocket 54 is closed by the uppermost spacer 40 which in turn is secured in place by a top button 56 which is countersunk as at 57 to seat the head of the,

nut 37.

The hollow segments 45 and 51 in addition to their handle-providing and pocket-providing roles, may also be used as sinkers. Likewise, the top. button 56 may serve as a sinker when not performing its normal function.

The several handle-providing elements are compressively clamped by the nut 37 but are held on the tang 35 against rotation-relative to each other by any suitable means such as the pins 59 carried by the segments 43, 45 and 51 and which seat in the smaller holes 42 of the spacers 40.

The compartments or pockets 49 and 54 may be utilized as desired but may conveniently carry matches, fish lines, fish line leaders, hooks, swivels or even printed instruc tions for the use of the kit. Obviously, the invention is not limited to these precise functions or items.

An important feature of the invention is that access to the pockets 45 or 54 is possible without removing the segments from the tang 35. Thus, the nut 37 may be loosened enough to allow the spacers or segments above a desired hollow segment to be lifted enough to expose its pocket to permit access to the contents thereof. Thus, the contents of the pockets can be abstracted without en- Patented Mar. 3 1, 1959 J tirely dismantlingthe' knife 15 and thereby risking. the loss-of the-several-parts;

It should be noted, also, that the knife 15 when the handle-providing elements are removed can be formed intoahunting or fighting spear merely by inserting the tang 35 into the split end of a stick and lashingthe same therein. i

It follows from the foregoing, that the knifecomp'rises' a noveland efiicient survival kit which is aboutequally efiicient' on land or sea. Moreover, it is clear that itis' sucha device as would normally be worn on the person at all times during an expedition whereby it would always-be available as needed.

Eikewise; while there has been shown a particular weapon, it is clear'that the invention is susceptible'o'f application to other weapons and/or tools: Thus; while therehas been shown and'describedwhat isnow thought tobeth'e preferred embodiment of the invention; it"isito'. be'understood that the same is capable of "other formsand expressions; Consequently, the invention is not considered" as being limited to the precise'structures' shown and described hereinabove except as hereinafter'claimed'.

I claim:

1. In a survival kit, the combination with a tool, weapon or the like; of a handle for said tool, said handle comprising a tang fixed to said tool, a plurality of segments and spacers, said segments and spacers being formed with apertures therethrough and being strung along said tang. there being a spacer between each segment, readily releasable clamping means normally holding said segments andspacers in a compressed handle-providing relation, each of a plurality of said segments including at least one axially'directed pocket normally closed by a spacer, said pockets being adapted to receive therein elements of a survival kit including elements of a fishing kit, and said spacers being formed to provide fishing lures.

2. In a survival kit, the combination with a tool. weapon or the like; of a handle for said tool, said handle comprising a tang fixed to said tool, a plurality of segments and spacers, said spacers being formed with apertures therethrough and being strung along said tang in spaced relation to each other, at least some of said' segments each comprising a hollow cup-shaped element including a floor and an endless side wall providing an axially directed pocket, said floors of said segments being formed with apertures'receiving said tang, said se ments being interposed between said spacers. and readily releasable clamping means clam ing said spacers and segments' together in handle-providing relation with each spacer closingaseparate pocket.

3'. Asurvival kit according to claim 2, wherein at least some of said spacers comprise fishing lures and include means for attaching the same to a fishing line.

4. A survival kit according to claim 3, wherein at least some of said segments are solid and formed to comprise fishing sinkers, and each of said solid segments being formed with means for attaching the same to a fishing line.

5. In a survival kit, the combination with a tool, Weapon or the like; of a handle for said tool, said handle includin atang fixed to said tool and a hand grip portion surrounding said tang, said hand grip portion comprising a" nlirrality of segments and spacers formed with tang-receiving apertures and being strung along said tang with a'- spacer interposed between adjacent segments, readily releasable clamping means normally clamping said segments and spacers together in hand grip-providing relation, tli'ere'being a group of cup-shaped segments each including ,a; floor and an endless side wall providing a pocket directed axiallyalongsaid tang concentrically-thereof, said pockets being normally closed by said spacers, said clamping means being adapted to be loosened to permit separation of said spacers and segments and provide access to said pockets without removing said segments from said tang, and said clamping means'beingiadapted to be removed from said tang to permit the removal of said segments and spacers from said tang.

6. A survival kit according to claim 5, said pockets being adapted'to contain elements of a fishing kit, each of said spacers comprising a fishing lure' when removed from said tang, and there being a group of solid segments each comprising a fishing sinker when'removed from said tangand saidv spacers and solid segments each including means for attaching the same to a fishing line.

7. In a survival kit, the combination with a tool, weapon or the like; of a handle for said too], said handle including a' 'tang fixed to said tool and ahand grip portion surrounding said tang, said hand grip portion comprising a plurality of segments and spacers formed with tang-receiving apertures and being strung along said tang with a spacer interposed between adjacent segments, readily releasable clamping means normally clamping said segments and spacers together in hand grip-providing relation, there being a group of cup-shaped segments each including a floor and an endless side wall, a hollow cylindrical boss arising from said floor and receiving said tang, said boss being coextensive in height with said wall to provide an axially directed cylindrical pocket concentrically of said boss, said pockets being normally closed by said spacers, said clamping means being adapted to be loosened to permit separation of' said spacers and segments and' provide access to said pockets without removing said segments from said tang.

8. A survival'kit according to claim 7, there being interengaging means on at least said cup-shaped'segments and the-spacers therefor which prevent rotation of the same about said tang relative to each other when said clamping means is clamping said segments and spacers in ahand grip-providing relation.

9. A handle for a tool or weapon, comprising a tang fixed to said tool or weapon, a plurality of hand gripproviding segments and spacers each being formed with a tangreceiving hole therethrough, said segments and spacersbeing alternately and slidably strungonsaid tang, at 'least some of said segments beingtormed with a pocket directed axially of said tang and normally closed by a spacer; said spacers comprising fish lures and including means for attaching the same to a fishing line; said" pockets'being adapted to contain elements'ofa fishing kit, and readily releasably clamping means normally clamping said segments and spacers together in hand grip-providing relation.

10. A handle according to claim 9, there" being'a plurality of solid segments comprising fish line sinkers, and

said sinkers' including means for attachingLthe same to a fishing line;

ReferencesCited in the file'ofthis'patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 912,411 Putney Feb. 16, 1909 1,276,554 Maxim Aug. 20, 1918 1,998,044 Brown .Apr. 16, 1935 2,496,707 Frye Feb. 7, 1950 2,650,008 Morseth Aug. 25, 1953 2,651,106 Breitzke Sept. 8, 1953 2,681,505 Flanagan June 22, 1954 

